An Enemy of the People (Herzog)
by Amy Herzog, Henrik Ibsen

Broadway
An Enemy of the People (Herzog) Book Cover
An Enemy of the People (Herzog) Cover

Highlights

120 mins 19th Century Expandable Casting Unit Set/Multiple Settings Period Costumes

Awards & Recognition

Drama Desk Award Tony Award

Winner! 2024 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Adaptation Nominee: Five 2024 Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Play

Synopsis

Amy Herzog’s streamlined adaptation of the Ibsen classic is a vibrant and compelling theatrical experience.

A small-town doctor considers himself a proud, upstanding member of his close-knit community.

When he discovers a catastrophe that risks the lives of everyone in town, he raises the alarm.

But he is shaken to his core when those in power, including his own brother, try not only to silence him, but to destroy him.

Press Reviews

"Crackling and persuasive… a bitter satire of local politics that soon reveals itself as a slow-boil tragedy of human complacency."

— The New York Times

"Amy Herzog’s adaptation… is smart, sharp and relevant."

— Deadline

"Crunchily position[s] drama and wit, profundity and comedy, alongside one another. This brilliant Enemy of the People is notably funny in both its smarts and pacing."

— The Daily Beast

"Lively… a prescient play about the dangers of populist manipulation by those invested in the status quo."

— New York Daily News

"First staged over 140 years ago, Ibsen’s play feels eerily prescient… it also is a striking portrait of oppositional forces both strategically manipulative and stunningly violent."

— Entertainment Weekly

Characters

Character
DR. THOMAS STOCKMANN

40s. Medical director of the Baths.

PETRA STOCKMANN

Early 20s. Thomas’s daughter, a schoolteacher.

PETER STOCKMANN

40s or 50s. Thomas’s brother, the town Mayor.

HOVSTAD

30s. Editor of the People’s Messenger.

BILLING

20s. Works for Hovstad.

ASLAKSEN

50’s or 60s. Chair of the Property Owners’ Association.

CAPTAIN HORSTER

20s. A ship’s captain.

MORTEN KIIL

60s or 70s. Thomas’s father-in-law, owner of a tannery.

CITIZENS

(optional) – Townspeople of different ages.

Videos

An Enemy of the People – Relevant Today

Publication

Publisher Samuel French
ISBN-13 9780573711367
ISBN-10 0573711364

An Enemy of the People (Herzog) is a play written by Amy Herzog and published by Samuel French .

Community Reviews

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Rating

3.9

13 ratings · 24 reviews

Review

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Performance Rights

Available for Licensing
Amateur & Professional
Fee: Minimum Fee: $110 per performance
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